The bubble test is performed to detect a patent foramen ovale with a right-to-left shunt in the heart when an embolus is suspected as the cause of intracerebral ischemias.
Procedure
In the bubble test, a saline solution with micro air bubbles is injected into an arm vein. If the air bubbles can be detected in the cerebral vessels, there is a possibility that a thrombus from the body veins can reach the brain through the same route via the patent foramen ovale in the heart.